All Darkness within Light
by Feazle
Summary: A new murderer springs up with the potential to cause much more damage than any other,with the passive aid of Hannibal,who mustwork with Clarice if they will ever solve it.But now,could this murderer possibly be a threat to even them?(Updated...wow)
1. Into the lion's den

Clarice Starling strode confidentally down the wide , brightly lit , top floor hallways. Oh yes , this was much better than her basement shack...This was where the big boys and girls sat around and played. Played what , she asked her mind? Jacks. They play Jacks.  
  
The sudden , rapid change of very odd subject startled Agent Starling for a moment and she cleared her throat slightly , reprimanding herself for being...herself. She straightened her suit's skirt in thought as she neared her doorway , and clenched the briefcase at her side before stopping outside of it. Starling fixed her hair and , hand on the door knob , bravely stepped where no sane woman had stepped before.  
  
Right into the freakin' Lion's den.   
  
The many agents seated around a large table raised their eyes to her , and Clarice looked away as she stepped in further and began to walk around the table to her seat. A few pairs of eyes watched , and Pearsall cleared his throat. Immediately , they looked away and he slid a folder towards Clarice as she sat down.  
  
"Thank you for joining us , Starling. I thought it would be important enough for your time."  
  
She nodded and took the folder into her hands. Pearsall rose from his chair and addressed the meeting in a loud , confident voice.  
  
"Gentleman," He began , not even glancing at Clarice who shifted uncomfortably. "As you know , we have discovered a new series of murders in the New York City area. Presumably , you have all been called here due to the simularities , if you will , between these murders and the infamous killings of Hannibal Lecter."  
  
A few agents bobbed their heads in agreement , and Clarice sighed to herself. Lecter. Always Lecter.  
  
"If you will please open your folders , you will see the very first victims..."  
  
Clarice tuned him out quickly. She began to rifle through the case file inside. It was basically filled with pictures , all of women and men mutilated in some horrible fashion. But , the strange thing was , they all had been recreated in a Lecter style. A copy cat.  
  
She looked back to Pearsall , deeply intrigued.  
  
"Every one was found with the same thing. The word 'Hannibal' carved somewhere , and a written stanza of Poe's 'The Raven'. Forenzics had repeatedly checked for finger prints and DNA...but sadly enough there was none to be found. We are afraid , gentleman , that this may become a real problem. This person is recreating Lecter's murders from the very beginning...there were too many to be known."  
  
Clarice looked back to her file , and the tortured eyes of a young woman stared back at her. Her shoulders were both ripped apart , and the word 'Hannibal' was engraved into her forehead.  
  
"Damn right." she muttered.  
  
  
  
Hannibal Lecter himself stare over the papers spread before him. Oh , Lovely. He remarked bitterly , five different issues of various american papers all showed the new New York Murders. The killer was being dubbed "The Raven" by the headlines , and had killed 12 so far.   
  
Doctor Lecter was most displeased by this information. 12 murders , all copy catting his , had occured and they never tied them together to a certain person? His faith in the american law enforcement , though never strong before , had weakened considerably and he folded up his papers.  
  
Poor Clarice , he reasoned. They probably have put her on this case for fun. And only a few months since out special supper...Poor Clarice.  
  
Hannibal stood from his kitchen table and lay the papers down in their folded stack , turning away to head in the direction of the study. Yes , it would be the appropriate time to contact his Clarice...  
  
  
  
Calandra Knott strode down the side-walk , her small , evened strides sounding dully on the pavement as the others. The afternoon was coming to a close in the fridgid wintery air. She squinted against the western setting sun towards the shilloettes of many scy scrapers against the sky , and immediately noted the gap in the sky line that had been missing ever since September 11 : she quickly forgot.   
  
Just outside of Queens , Calandra was confident in her strides of the familiarity of this area. She had lived on the other side of New York for her entire life , and had been here in Queens attending college for maybe three years now. Studying to become a language arts teacher , eventually proffessor , at 22 , Calandra considered herself well taught and in tune with the world around her. She even attended a film making class for extra , and in social status she had many friends and aquantiences. Life was good.  
  
Calandra , tugging the strap of her book bag further up on her shoulder , flashed a flirtacious smile to a passing horde of college town boys. They gratefully responded , and she passed on , the spring in her step allowing her soft auburn hair to fly at it wished. She reached the gate of the park she had been cutting through , and broke away from the tranquility of shrubbery and leaveless trees to the city sidewalks once again. She rushed across the street , and towards the Metro on the other side.  
  
She had arrived home without much difficulty. Her ride on the trains had been fairly pleasant , and now , in the safety of her own small home , Calandra was at ease. The daughter of two very wealthy parents , she had been honoured with her own house , and was grateful for it. Things were so much easier to do here.   
  
She had just gotten in the door , and it was already dark outside.  
  
Calandra shivered to herself and pulling her snowy gloves off of her hands , dumping her backpack by the door.  
  
"Cold , cold , cold..." she muttered to the empty house , dancing around momentarily.  
  
Calandra removed her coat and dumped it on the rack , stretching at the sudden loss of so much extra weight on her body. For her age , she was still rather thin , very attractive to the male population , and appeared to be one for fashion , style. But this was not to say she was obsessive , no , there were many very strange things to be said about Calandra. Those who would say them could not.  
  
It was with some murmering , much cursing , and a few bouts of clumsiness , that She had managed to make it into the living room with a cup of coffee , sipping on it like a life source. Calandra gathered herself in front of the television and flipped it on , the flourescent glow giving her comfort in the lonely rooms.   
  
Soap opera...romance...action...Horror...no , wait , turn back to that...okay , nevermind...  
  
She vetoed all other choices then and turned to quite possibly the most boring channel possible ; CNN. Calandra remained standing in front of the television to watch , and was delighted to see that it displayed a picture of Hannibal Lecter.  
  
"...Authorities believe that this is not the work of Doctor Hannibal 'The Cannibal' Lecter , but rather of a fan.   
They have concluded that the killer is not in fact eating the victims , as their 'missing appendengages' tend to show back up in a finding. Police in the Manhattan area have alerted all citizens , especially the young women , to keep aware as Doctor Lecter is extremely..."  
  
Calandra cut the announcer off with a slow "Blah , Blah,Blah..." and then halted on thought.  
  
"Oh! Yes! I completely forgot!" she suddenly looked worried , but not for the picture across her screen. Calandra turned this off quickly and began to rush about repeating her mantra of "Oh! Ooooh!"  
  
Gathering up her things , Calandra turned to the basement door and opened it , beginning to descend the stairs into darkness.   
  
As she stepped , though , the sound of heavy breathing began aparent , occasionally it would trip as if a choking.. Sobs.  
  
"Shhh...." Calandra crooned softly to the blackness. Nothing was visible now , save for a small sliver of light creeping down the wooden stairs as if it had tried to reach out to the basement , but failed.  
  
She held a small bag at her side , and as she descended further into the basement the sobs became louder , and she slowly began to pull on a pair of sanitary cloves.  
  
"Quiet , please." Calandra instructed to the noise , and it began to die down just slightly , replaced by hiccups.   
  
The room was suddenly illuminated in the dim light of only two lamps , and the sight was shocking ; very unexpected to be seen here , or anywhere for that matter.  
  
Against the wall , was what could of passed as a dignified , young man. Now he was simply another broken victim , and appeared very frightened.  
  
Brown hair tousselled , eyes red , tears worn out and the stains on his cheeks to prove it , the young man was , in simple , a wreck. Tethered to the wall by two four old pairs of hand cuffs , he had the traditional strip of duct tape over his mouth , halfway fallen off. Calandra appeared displeased.  
  
"Oh , Brian." she scolded , as if a mother to a young child , and stepped forward to take her spidery hands to his face.  
  
Instead of being comforted , "Brian" flinched away and she only smiled lightly , pulling the duct tape away from his mouth. He opened his mouth to say something , and Calandra stuck a finger to his lips.  
  
"No , I did warn you. I will kill you much sooner if you even try to scream."   
  
He stopped, and she smiled wider , fishing around in her bag , at first extracting a can opener.  
  
"I brought you a present , Brian. I do hope you enjoy it , as I know that things own here are rather miserable for you." Calandra began fluidly , her voice light and movements swift as she turned and lay the can opener on a stand against the opposite wall. A few groaning noises were heard behind her , and then the scratchy sound of his unused voice as Brian finally spoke up , albeit quietly.  
  
"Please , I've begged you...Let me go. What are you trying to do to me?" his voice was tearful , and Calandra slipped her eyelids over the hazel orbs as he continued. "I have been in here for days , with no light."  
  
She sighed deeply , opening her eyes once more as she finally extracted a can and a fork from inside the bag at her side. The can read "Italian Green Beans"  
  
"Brian , please be patient. You will be free soon enough , alright? Would you like to go much sooner?"  
  
Calandra turned and walked gracefully back to him , can opened and a fork in her hand. He stare at her widely.  
  
"Well?"   
  
Brian nodded deftly after a brief moment of considering his options , and she smiled cheerfully.  
  
"Good boy. Now , eat your supper and then we can talk , hmm?"  
  
It was rather humorous , Calandra supposed , standing in her damp basement spoon feeding such a once handsome man green beans. But , irony was her forte. She raised the can , void of all except for the water the vegetables had been packaged in , and tipped it to his lips ; Brian drunk it in invitingly.  
  
"No , no , no" she muttered , as water dribbled down his chin onto his already wet , with sweat , shirt.  
  
Ca;andra pulled it away , and he composed himself , or as much that was allowed in handcuffs and chains.  
  
"Now , to let you go , yes?"  
  
"Yes." he answered immediately  
  
"Alright...sure."  
  
Calandra took his chin under her spidery hand for a moment , and smiled , dropping her hand away and sweeping back over to the table , to her bag.  
  
"You know , others have been very , very worse off than yourself. They have suffered much worse torturers than being locked in my basement. What happenned to being a big boy , Brian?"  
  
She turned to him , and he was clearly distraght to see not only the keys in her hand , but a small , short steak knife.   
  
He wiggled violently as she approached him , and tried to jerk his body back from her touch as she pocketed the knife and advanced on him with the key.  
  
"No...I'll stay...I'll stay here..."  
  
"Brian," Calandra smiled , voice light as ever. "You know , and I know , that this is a painful torture. You can not stand this seclusion , it is very damaging to your psychological health. So I will cure."  
  
She slowly uncuffed his feet first , and was glad that he had not tried to kick her , so she moved her attention to his hands. Once free , Brian immediately dived for his captor , knocking her backwards slightly.   
  
Racing into the next room , Brian shot for the basement stairs but almost instantly he felt her hands on his back , and fell forward onto the stairs in front of him.  
  
Calandra , positioned on his back and Brian face first into the staircase , was dissapointed to find that it did not render him unconcious.  
  
"Pity..." she muttered , leaning close to his ear as he stopped struggling , breath heavy. "We could of had so much fun together."  
  
So it was with great speed , and great fluidity , that the steak knive slid from the center of Brian's high neck , to his lower back , nerves and brain stem severed.  
  
"There you go." she said , voice full of satisfaction as she rose from his body , and the last few strangled grunts echoed from his mouth. "God rest your soul."  
  
And then he was gone , body lifeless and blood beginning to seep through the straight , clean cut.  
  
"I must say , I am better at this than I give myself credit for." Calandra muttered to herself.  
  
She leaned on the banister of the stairs , staring down at his body in thought for a moment , before sighing slightly.  
  
"You know , It's terribly high cholesterol...But I wonder what a bit of meat would taste like. Just this once."  
  
Calandra smirked lightly , and turned , side stepping Brian's dead body to retrieve a pot from upstairs.  
  
A..N.- I FINALLY wrote a murder story! One that will eventually develop gore! Geez...I'm growing up! Tell me whatyou think , people , I know the beginning was rather poorly written but that was due to the fact that I had started writing it when I was rather sick , and now I finished in a good mood. Joy! And this chapter is finished! Tell me what you think!  
  
-Raven 


	2. What a tangled web we weave

The sun has long been an object of facination to our world. Numerous cultures find themselves mistified by this god , so far away , so silent , yet too powerful. It travels throughout their lands , seeing every sight and meeting every person , but as soon as it has come , the winter's cold follows. And they find themselves longing every moment for the spring , when the Sun returns to them , and embraces them in it's warm arms.  
  
Furthermore , it mystifies them. Warriors , heros , the greek dieties , and even such forces as the F.B.I. rise and fall in power , reaching their climax of rule and then falling straight for the earth once more. The Sun does the same , but it does not let itself become defeated. It rises once more , the next day , to become the true hero of all , and the people rejoice right until the cold Moon ascends to reclaim the earth for just one night.  
  
So it was with much respect , one can imagine , that Clarice Starling watched the sun this evening. It's marvelous descent , otherwise breath taking , was jaded by the harsh air pollution and towering forms of building it the distance , but nonetheless. It was amazing.  
  
She pondered there , in the fading moments of twilight that graced her porch , just how this creature , this inanimate creature , does this. Every day. Whereas she , the might Clarice Starling , Warrior of the F.B.I. will peak so soon , and yet never see her moon , the ravenous F.B.I. , come up and envelope her. Toss her aside to another face of the earth , her life. And she did not rise.  
  
"Damn you , Sun. The object of my jealousy and admiration is just one , big , ball of gas."  
  
Clarice sighed deeply , closing her eyes and massaging her eyelids momentarily , a small groan apparent from deep in her throat.  
  
"A Beer , few hundred advil , and a bubble bath. Fun , fun , fun." She hissed to herself , ufolding herself from the cheap , spray painted wicker chair.   
  
Clarice turned to the screen door , wrapping her coat around her slightly , to step back into her home and shut the heavy oak behind her.  
  
"What you need , Starling , Is a good psychiatrist." she mumbled to herself , and immediately smirked. "Oh yes , I'd go in and explain to the doctor 'I don't really need you , you see , I already have a world-class psychiatrist living in my head. He speaks to me , you know.' Oh , I can just see the papers."  
  
Clarice , a small shadow of a smile apparent on her face , strode down the hallway , shedding her coat as she went along to let it fall onto the hallway floor , unnoticed.  
  
She turned into the kitchen , the grocery bags from her earlier shopping spree still shed over the table like she left them. Clarice ignored them , so she didn't notice the extra , white shopping bag that laid on the table amongst them.  
  
"What to eat , what to eat..." She muttered to herself , padding over the lime flooring to the freezer , where she opened the door and peered inside carefully.  
  
Clarice stared into the snowy depths of the freezer , reaching in to brush frost off of a frozen bag of fries , considering momentarily when she was suddenly alert to the unnatural jumping on the hairs of the back of her neck.  
  
They prickled as a shiver ran up her spine , and she jumped. Hand immediately drawn to the .45 at her side , she began to turn before sighing darkly.  
  
"It's a freezer , Starling , not the fucking bahamas." she muttered  
  
And Clarice loosened once more , reaching back up to push something out of the way and extract the fries from the back. They were a solid , irregular block , and heavy in her hand as she swung the freezer door shut and looked down to read the directions. As she turned , the first thing she was aware of was shoes.  
  
Those shoes , black running and sleek , ran into a pair of expensive black slacks , and her eyes stopped at their knee level as Clarice quivered there.  
  
"Good evening , Clai..." The silk voice began calmly , so very cliche , and she took her moment to pounce.   
  
Clarice snapped from her stupor immediately and , disregarding her gun , lept at him , throwing her full momentum into the move.  
  
Doctor Lecter , strong but still an aged man , struggled backwards at first as his Starling's angered face threw into his , her hands grabbing at his arms and trying to shove them backwards.  
  
He quickly regained composure and growled at her in frustration , much like before , throwing her back into the kitchen counter.   
  
Clarice groaned softly as she hit the counter , head falling back at first but it came up once more to look at him. Doctor Lecter was standing in front of her , holding her elbows to the counter behind her.  
  
"Clarice , I was simply greeting you. No need to Attack already." He hissed to her , and she refused to blink.  
  
"Hello , Doctor Lecter. I must say , it was quite a surprise to find you standing in my kitchen."  
  
He smiled very lightly , a ghost of a true expression clouding his features.  
  
"You're getting better ,Clarice. Please , sit down." Hannibal instructed , swinging her up from the counter and around to ease her into a chair. Clarice did not resist him this time , she simply sat there with a look of defiance clear on her face , hands falling into her lap as he let her arms go.  
  
"Clarice , I will inform you , any escaping will be the demise of your dear old Mrs. Whitney..." Watching her confused look , Hannibal quirked an eyebrow and continued. "Your neighbour , Clarice."  
  
She frowned in thought , and then a look of realization came over her face...Clarice gasped.  
  
"Oh , no , Doctor Lecter..."  
  
He smiled. "Clarice , you didn't even remember her name. Now , settle or with a flick of my wrist , goodbye Mrs. Whitney."  
  
She nodded deftly , and Hannibal smiled continuously.  
  
"Yes , Good girl , Clarice. Now , for the first matter of business..."  
  
He turned to the floor , and bent down. Clarice had the urge to jump again , but he looked up to her with a small grin and then back down , picking up the bag of fries from the floor.  
  
"Supper. Frozen french fries , Clarice? Now really..."  
  
  
  
Hannibal Lecter looked over the table to Clarice , regarding her with a kind glance as she sat bolted , though not litterally this time around , into her seat.  
  
"Clarice , I'm assured that you've seen these murders?"  
  
"What murders , Doctor Lecter." She snapped , accent defiant in her voice.  
  
"Clarice." He warned  
  
"Yes , Doctor Lecter , I have." Clarice corrected , eyes aimed straight for his face though focusing on his nose rather than eyes. She couldn'tbring herself to look up.  
  
"Then you know , Clarice..." He purred out , eyes pulling hers up to his. "That it was not me."  
  
She nodded solemly.  
  
"Yes , doctor Lecter , I know. They were definentally not your style."  
  
Hannibal smiled lightly , and Clarice had the intention to move her eyes down , but kept them steady.  
  
"I've taught you well , Clarice." He replied gently.  
  
"In what , Doctor Lecter?" Clarice snapped , ever defensive.  
  
"Now , Clarice , let's not do this again. Eat your supper first , before it gets cold."  
  
He gestured down to the rice and chicken he had found in her kitchen , currently cooling , untouched , on their plates. She ignored it.  
  
"Do what again , Lecter? Tell me ,I'm so curious to know."  
  
"Clarice," he intervened, "My name is Hannibal. And you have not listened to me tonight. You need to calm yourself."  
  
"You're only going to kill me , aren;t you? Hannibal?" She whispered , eyes boring into his in that moment of ferocity.  
  
Hannibal stopped smiling , and stood , his chair scraping back against the floor eerily.She jumped slightly at this , but jumped right out of her chair as he rounded the side of the table to her.  
  
Clarice gasped as his hands jumped to her wrist , and she was back against the wall once more in a flash. His head hovered close to hers , eyes dancing , and she was sure she saw the angel of death in those eyes...Starling's last stand.  
  
"Clarice , listen to me."  
  
Her breath came out raggedy as she exhaled , and shook her head.  
  
"No , kill me already , Lecter."  
  
"Clarice," Hannibal mumbled to her. "We must work together. It is imperative that we do so. Will you work with me , Clarice? Many , many lives will end if not...many more than will end while we spend time bickering. In this time that we fight , someone may have died. An innocent , if you will , Clarice."  
  
She quivered under his gaze , nodding just twice in deft.  
  
"Yes...Doctor Lecter...I will help you."  
  
He smiled gently down upon her , and his head bent down to meet her lips with his softly...  
  
A.N.- LOL , couldn't resist it...I'm just a true romantic at heart...Don't worry , the next chapter will be gore! No problems , right? Bring cameras... 


	3. Avarice entangled

A.N.- Ooooh! Great , great thanks to all of you nice people who review and for some reason like this story...LOL , there are so many other stories I need to finish...I'm slacking...So , thanks to Kurt (extra thanks for putting up with me! Love ya , Charlie!)  
Lady Of Truths , Nan , Saavik , Tikky (pyro!) ,Hanniballover , Samantha Bridges , and , last but not least , High Priestess Chameleon 302! (on holiday! yes!) So , I'll go write the story before I end up giving you all one giant , rambling authors note. PS.- Yes , we will have gore again.  
  
The park was quiet this time of night , the gentle glow of street lamps and lights in the distance creating a small , orangish glow over it in places , but silence and the twilight in others. Amongst the twilight , Calandra Knott lurked , silently skipping around the lamps glow.   
  
Her head up and alert , but her eyes clouded over with fierce determination , she strode quietly down the sidewalk. Calandra had planned her midnight stroll out carefully , knowing the other types that liked to make this central park a haven at night , and adapted to avoid suspicion.  
  
Earlier she had passed a policeman , who didn't give but a kind nod to the young woman , dressed in a knee length black coat , the scarf wrapped around her neck , and boots on her feet like others. If he had even noticed her hands buried deep in her pockets , or perhaps the rubber sliver that poked out of the top of her pockets , he would of grown suspicious.   
  
Thankfully ,noone would now due to the wide availibility of surgical gloves and body bags....Calandra relished in this. She saw , as she came around a corner , a young couple upwards on the path in front of her.   
  
She bowed her head to the ground as she approached , And Calandra felt in her pocket for the small knife she had brought with her , and a bottle of methyl alcohol.  
  
"Pardon me," She mumbled quietly as she passed them , and then halted. "Sir, if you will..."  
  
The couple stopped , and the man's face turned to hers as they both moved around. His girlfriend looked adgitated...or worried , and he did as well.  
  
"Yes , miss?" The man inquired shakily  
  
Calandra ,appearing only as a simply poor woman to them , did not raise her head but instead held a surgical gloved hand out.  
  
"Spare change , s'il vous plait?"  
  
The two stare down at the glove momentarily , and she took this as her moment. Hand snapping out of her pocket , head up , Calandra lunged towards the woman first of all. Two was not a fun number for a amateur murderer , she reasoned , but it sure was inspiring.  
  
Her hand reached out to slash at the Woman's throat just once , deep enough , and she let out one scream , before crumbling and proceeding to sob onto the pavement , now realizing that she could scream no more.  
  
"Hurts , don't you think?" Calandra smiled down at the woman , as her boyfriend stared down in shock for a moment. "Funny how the larynx can be so fragile sometimes...one slice and wham...silence. Enchanting , I bealive so."  
  
The woman did not look up , her hand reaching around to grasp her throat , as if she could hold the vocals together , and Calandra looked from her to her boyfriend.  
  
In a flash , she had lept onto him , shoving him to the ground and thrusting her hand into her pocket. The man struggled underneath her , and finally succeeded in throwing Calandra off of him , onto the pavement.  
  
She sat there momentarily , clearing her mind as her head struck the pavement , and Calandra was distressed to see him grab onto his girlfriend and thrust her up. As Calandra fumbled to her feet , the man had already began running , half pulling the woman with him. As if the situation couldn't of gotten worse , Calandra could now hear the heavy footfalls behind her and a flashlight shining towards them. A pistol cocked.  
  
"Damn it!" she hissed , not taking the time to look back before she took off running , but to the side and into the trees.  
  
Muffled voices and screams , of the woman apparently , reached her ears and she heard the sound of boots on the ground behind her. The dull clunking was not far behind , and Calandra shot through the foliage , taking care not to run into a tree or anything else that would serve as an embarressment later on.  
  
"Whatever happenned..." she panted to herself , tripping slightly over a root as she heard the cop draw nearer. "To the beer bellied , doughnut cops they used to have?!"  
  
Entering another path on the other side , Calandra stopped and turned , making a small button hole back into the trees where she stood. The cop came shooting through , and she felt a small pang of distress.  
  
He was a very young man , probably just out of training , she reasoned , and on the other side he was very cute. She cursed another date gone by and stepped out of the trees silently.  
  
"C'est dommage" Calandra whispered , and the cop , a bewildered expression on his face , turned and whipped out his gun.  
  
But she had already began her leap , and as Calandra shot for him he pulled the trigger on his gun.  
  
It just glanced off her shoulder , taking a piece if you will , yet she ignored the pain at first and the hand with her knive in it stabbed into the back of his neck.  
  
Calandra immediatelyhad no fight now , as he was dead in the instant the blade struck his brain stem , and she wondered for a moment if the hook technique she had used was enough to puncture the cerebrum , if only momentarily...But then her attention was called to the throbbing of her shoulder.  
  
"Oh , dammit..." she hissed , grabbing onto her arm with a tight grip.   
  
Calandra briefly sunk towards the ground , but she stopped halfway and closed her eyes , collecting herself. She had never liked pain...no , no , no....Mother used to keep her in bed for paper cuts...So it was with a limp in her arm that Calandra rose once more.  
  
"C'est dommage...C'est dommage...ill est...ah , C'est Dommage..." She muttered , half hissing , to herself. This was a very brief lapse in time , before Calandra heard the voices of many policemen and their scooters , and she jumped back to reality.  
  
She reasoned on leaving the knife , and shot down the path once more , years of experience guiding her back towards the car park , where she could expect a good heap of body bags and their occupants...  
  
***  
  
"Hello? May I please speak to Mrs. Knott? Oh! It's you! Can't be my DAUGHTER , Can it?! I haven't talked to her in so long! Couldn't be HER!"  
  
The voice scolded her repeatedly from the other side of the line , and Calandra winced slightly. She knew she shouldn't of answered the phone...  
  
"Hello , muh-ma..." Calandra replied pleasently , letting a smile creep into her voice. It was only the day after her escapades in central park , and now she stood in her basement "working". Dressed like any other woman you would see out and about today , on mother's day , she wore rubber gloves and held a knife in one hand , standing in front of a table where the body of a gang member lay.  
  
"Oh , my little Calandra! How are you?!"  
  
She smiled to herself , cradling the phone on her shoulder as she carefully cut aroundthe muscles of this man's eye , proud of the little blood shed.  
  
"I'm fine , mother , did you get my package?"   
  
"Oh , yes , yes...The table cloth is lovely! Did you make that yourself?"  
  
"Yes , mother , but I owe my craftsman-ship to you. After all," Calandra praised her mother on the other line , not even acting the part of a loving daughter , even as she reached down with a needle to shift an eye muscle over. "You did teach me how to sew so well. I never would of been so...nimble with my hands had it not been for your lessons."  
  
"Oh , Calandra , that's wonderful! I will see moreof your work later , yes?"  
  
She stopped there , withdrawing the needle from the dead man's eye to , to brush some of her hand over and away from her ear with the blade of the knife ,feeling it scratch and leave blood on her skin as it went.  
  
"Later , muh-ma?"  
  
"Oh , yes , Calandra! Later! I'm in the car right now , making my way through the tunnel...you did remember that I'm coming over for dinner tonight , yes?"  
  
She frowned , face etched in worry as she leaned down slightly on the stomach of this man.  
  
"Oh...yes , I remember. I appoligize , muh-ma , I just am quite occupied at the moment. So...I was thinking we could go shopping today then? Eat out at Alighierti's?"Calandra tried to sway the conversation over , no success.  
  
"Calandra , dear , your mother is getting old!" The voice reasoned , and in the background Calandra heard her mother pull the phone away from her ear to slam on the horn and shout out the window something about mother's day , something rude... "I am tired , honey , let's just stay home and have a nice meal , alright?"  
  
She sighed deeply , gulping back a lump that had formed in her throat. Her next sentence was scratchy ,  
  
"Alright , mother , i'll see you soon."  
  
"Goodbye , honey! I love you!"  
  
"Yes , love you too , muh-ma..."  
  
Calandra pulled the phone from her ear , pressing "end" and she just stood there. Laying the knife over the man's stomach next to the telephone , Calandra looked over to the mirror across the basement with regret.  
  
Blood streaked down the side of one temple , and a bandage visible on her shoulder under the strap of her tank top...This was bound to be a very interesting supper.   
  
'Only if you let her live to supper , Calandra...' the back of her mind instructed.  
  
She whispered to the stale basement air quietly. "Kill muh-ma? What about Hannibal...?" 


	4. When the moment arisesnew! Fixed! correc...

A.N.- Hi guys! Okay , so if I you were wondering why I deleted the original chapter four...well , because It was bad , to put it simply , lol. I had typed it up very shortly , without a lot of thought , and then I was getting these rude reviews...lol , rude , yes. Too bad I wasn't hungry....So I said "Heck , I know it's a piece of crap...Let's re-do it." And here I am. So...read! And review , also! That's the important part ,lol!  
  
"...And , that...GIRL , just snapped or something! She reached out and completely slashed at Anna , I don't know WHY..." Timothy Rombaldi rambled off to the police man behind the desk , looking down with his hands clasped together between his knees. He was hunched over , a very bad position for his back , by the way , in the cold metal chair , in a cold plastic room , facing the cold , steel gaze of the policeman across from him...  
  
"When she attacked you , Mr. Rombaldi , what happenned? In detail?" The cop broke in , his wrinkled face bent like a picasso into frustration , curiosity , and anger all at once.  
  
"Er...Well...I think I hit her back , or took her weapon , or something..."  
  
"Or something , Mr. Rombaldi?" The cop leaned forward , the chair creeking under his immense weight slightly.  
  
"No ,I'm sure of what happenned...I hit her back. Yes.And I grabbed Anna,she was bleeding pretty bad , and ran for the exit."  
  
The cop nodded, leaning back with a sigh. The weathered face of Rombaldi looked up to him , bags forming under his eyes. The cop studied this for a moment before closing his eyes briefly.  
  
"We have mapped out the crime , just so you know. The assailant had previously attacked nine others in the park , apparently harbouring them in her veichle immediately. We thing they must of used some type of special tool or chemical to keep their victims silent...Or else we would of discovered them much quicker. It is fortunate that you escaped , they could of taken many more down that night before being stopped by anything more than the daylight..."  
  
He paused , discontinuing the subject matter.  
  
"You will be glad to know , that Anna is listed in perfect condition , other than that little detail that she can no longer speak , of course..."  
  
"Oh thank god!" Rombaldi exclaimed , earning a small glare from the cop.  
  
"And we have DNA evidence on the killer. We have , in fact , identified who it is."  
  
"Really? Excellent! Now who is it?!" Rombaldi leaned forward in his seat expectantly , and the cop gave him a small , tired smile.  
  
"The Raven. The mass murderer. And we now know who the killer is , thanks to the cop who shot her...may his soul rest peace...er...pieces..."  
  
Rombaldi frowned , and the cop stopped smiling.  
  
"Sorry , sorry...anyway , We've identified the killer...And here you are." He mumbled , extracting a picture from inside his desk.   
  
It was the smiling face of a young , college girl , she was leaning against a railing in front of some scenic attraction or another , and her arm wrapped around another woman , who looked almost exactly like her. Underneath were the words "Knott , Calandra"  
  
******  
  
Well , while we're on that subject matter of twisted irony , annoying fate , blah,blah,blah...It should be noted that Calandra Knott and Marie Knott , daughter and mother , look very much alike. In fact , although Miss Marie is already in her late fifties , and her daughter early twenties , their friends and family can still not logically tell the pair apart easily. Maybe the only physical difference in these women would be give or take a few wrinkles...and , of course , DNA. Fun , fun , fun.  
  
So luck would have it , that when the police were roaring down the neighbourhood , Marie Knott was just emerging from her black sports car. Clad in a brown leather jacket , jeans , and a new handbag over her shoulder , she strutted up to the house confidently. True , she moved kind of slow...but she's an old lady , give the woman a break!  
  
Sirens roared as the police spotted their "suspect" walking down the sidewalk , and they hit up the speed limit pretty bad , much to the amusement of a few children standing by. The cars flew into the driveway of Calandra's house , one of them narrowly missing the sports car , and like flies to meat the police swarmed out and were soon lining the cars.  
  
"Miss Knott , drop the purse and put your hands in the air!"  
  
Inside , currently dumping a can of cheap vegetable soup into a pot over the stove , Calandra Knott jumped and threw her hands into the air instinctively , swinging around. At the sight of noone , especially not a cop , she stood there and blinked for a moment.  
  
"Am I finally loosing it..." she whispered to the thin air , but jumped another three metres into the air as she heard it again.  
  
"Once again! Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air!"  
  
Calandra dropped the wooden spoon to the floor with a clank and stared around her some more , finally catching the flash of red and blue outside of her lace curtains.  
  
"What the bloody hell...?" she murmered ,stepping forward now to the window , lowering her arms. Calandra's eyes immediately jumped to the size of dinner plates...This was SO FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!  
  
She smirked , a smile cracking her pale lips for that moment , and she watched as her mother cowered in terror , finally dropping her handbag to the ground and raising her arms into the air. Calandra watched a cop speak to the woman from his side of the ordeal , speaking in soft , gentle tones like one would to a disobedient kindergardener. She fought back giggles as her mother "flipped" the man "off"  
  
"Yes...Oh , what an ingenious plan..." Calandra's smile grew wider as she dashed across the kitchen , shuffling in the drawers for a moment. Throwing a few pieces of random silverware and utensils to the floor , she finally produced a small hand gun from a drawer and quickly snapped it.   
  
She loaded the gun swiftly with the ammunition laying carelessly in her drawer , and slammed the drawer shut once more , ducking down as she moved across the kitchen.   
  
"And if only I can make it look real..." Calandra hissed to herself , crawling beneath her window , facing out to the cops. "Then I'll be out of here in no time , with one less mother to worry about , not to mention a few good laughs later on."  
  
She peered over the pane slightly and leveled the gun point up with her mother's hand as she yelled back at the cops , a storm of obscenities flying from the old woman's mouth.  
  
"Mama mia...It was fun. And helpful , I thank you."  
  
Calandra pulled the trigger , and immediately ducked down , although she would of preffered to see the fun she had caused. The bang of her gun was the first , and as she hit the floor she could only imagine the look on her mother's face as the 20 or 30 others flew at her...  
  
Just as her smile began to grow once more , the window over her head bursted with a rogue bullet and Calandra covered her head , pulling it between her knees. Sounds of the many guns flying off on auto filled her ears momentarily,  
  
And then silence.She raised her head curiously and heard nothing but silence , as mentioned , before the clicking of police radios and the murmering from them floated through the window.   
  
Sitting there , in a pile of broken glass and the few pieces of silverware from before , Calandra waited for her mother's obscene cries , for her to jump up and start pulling wrestling moves on them...but she heard nothing of the sort. She waited there for a moment , before turning her head and looking over the window carefully.  
  
What she saw disturbed even the now hardened serial killer in her to a great extent. Her mother lie there on the sidewalk in a fresh pool of blood. Around her , the grass was dyed crimson , her face open and alert , looking as if the boogey man had just jumped out from under the bed at her. From her head , a bullet wound was clearly visible , gaping to Calandra...And her arms spread out around her like the angel she always had wanted to be...  
  
Like the angel she WAS , in THIS moment , and this moment NOW.  
  
A fresh tear stained Calandra's cheek as she watched the police begin to swarm about mother , and it remained.  
  
**********  
  
A.N.2- Okay , so it's a very short chapter. And it did end akwardly. And there wasn't a terrible bunch of plot...so what? I'm working on it...the next chapter completely runs with the plot , I just did not want to give you all 20 pages to read.  
  
Ta,  
Raven 


	5. When the moment arisesunfortunate repeat...

A.N.- Hi guys! Okay , so if I you were wondering why I deleted the original chapter four...well , because It was bad , to put it simply , lol. I had typed it up very shortly , without a lot of thought , and then I was getting these rude reviews...lol , rude , yes. Too bad I wasn't hungry....So I said "Heck , I know it's a piece of crap...Let's re-do it." And here I am. So...read! And review , also! That's the important part ,lol!  
  
"...And , that...GIRL , just snapped or something! She reached out and completely slashed at Anna , I don't know WHY..." Timothy Rombaldi rambled off to the police man behind the desk , looking down with his hands clasped together between his knees. He was hunched over , a very bad position for his back , by the way , in the cold metal chair , in a cold plastic room , facing the cold , steel gaze of the policeman across from him...  
  
"When she attacked you , Mr. Rombaldi , what happenned? In detail?" The cop broke in , his wrinkled face bent like a picasso into frustration , curiosity , and anger all at once.  
  
"Er...Well...I think I hit her back , or took her weapon , or something..."  
  
"Or something , Mr. Rombaldi?" The cop leaned forward , the chair creeking under his immense weight slightly.  
  
"No ,I'm sure of what happenned...I hit her back. Yes.And I grabbed Anna,she was bleeding pretty bad , and ran for the exit."  
  
The cop nodded, leaning back with a sigh. The weathered face of Rombaldi looked up to him , bags forming under his eyes. The cop studied this for a moment before closing his eyes briefly.  
  
"We have mapped out the crime , just so you know. The assailant had previously attacked nine others in the park , apparently harbouring them in her veichle immediately. We thing they must of used some type of special tool or chemical to keep their victims silent...Or else we would of discovered them much quicker. It is fortunate that you escaped , they could of taken many more down that night before being stopped by anything more than the daylight..."  
  
He paused , discontinuing the subject matter.  
  
"You will be glad to know , that Anna is listed in perfect condition , other than that little detail that she can no longer speak , of course..."  
  
"Oh thank god!" Rombaldi exclaimed , earning a small glare from the cop.  
  
"And we have DNA evidence on the killer. We have , in fact , identified who it is."  
  
"Really? Excellent! Now who is it?!" Rombaldi leaned forward in his seat expectantly , and the cop gave him a small , tired smile.  
  
"The Raven. The mass murderer. And we now know who the killer is , thanks to the cop who shot her...may his soul rest peace...er...pieces..."  
  
Rombaldi frowned , and the cop stopped smiling.  
  
"Sorry , sorry...anyway , We've identified the killer...And here you are." He mumbled , extracting a picture from inside his desk.   
  
It was the smiling face of a young , college girl , she was leaning against a railing in front of some scenic attraction or another , and her arm wrapped around another woman , who looked almost exactly like her. Underneath were the words "Knott , Calandra"  
  
******  
  
Well , while we're on that subject matter of twisted irony , annoying fate , blah,blah,blah...It should be noted that Calandra Knott and Marie Knott , daughter and mother , look very much alike. In fact , although Miss Marie is already in her late fifties , and her daughter early twenties , their friends and family can still not logically tell the pair apart easily. Maybe the only physical difference in these women would be give or take a few wrinkles...and , of course , DNA. Fun , fun , fun.  
  
So luck would have it , that when the police were roaring down the neighbourhood , Marie Knott was just emerging from her black sports car. Clad in a brown leather jacket , jeans , and a new handbag over her shoulder , she strutted up to the house confidently. True , she moved kind of slow...but she's an old lady , give the woman a break!  
  
Sirens roared as the police spotted their "suspect" walking down the sidewalk , and they hit up the speed limit pretty bad , much to the amusement of a few children standing by. The cars flew into the driveway of Calandra's house , one of them narrowly missing the sports car , and like flies to meat the police swarmed out and were soon lining the cars.  
  
"Miss Knott , drop the purse and put your hands in the air!"  
  
Inside , currently dumping a can of cheap vegetable soup into a pot over the stove , Calandra Knott jumped and threw her hands into the air instinctively , swinging around. At the sight of noone , especially not a cop , she stood there and blinked for a moment.  
  
"Am I finally loosing it..." she whispered to the thin air , but jumped another three metres into the air as she heard it again.  
  
"Once again! Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air!"  
  
Calandra dropped the wooden spoon to the floor with a clank and stared around her some more , finally catching the flash of red and blue outside of her lace curtains.  
  
"What the bloody hell...?" she murmered ,stepping forward now to the window , lowering her arms. Calandra's eyes immediately jumped to the size of dinner plates...This was SO FREAKIN' HILARIOUS!  
  
She smirked , a smile cracking her pale lips for that moment , and she watched as her mother cowered in terror , finally dropping her handbag to the ground and raising her arms into the air. Calandra watched a cop speak to the woman from his side of the ordeal , speaking in soft , gentle tones like one would to a disobedient kindergardener. She fought back giggles as her mother "flipped" the man "off"  
  
"Yes...Oh , what an ingenious plan..." Calandra's smile grew wider as she dashed across the kitchen , shuffling in the drawers for a moment. Throwing a few pieces of random silverware and utensils to the floor , she finally produced a small hand gun from a drawer and quickly snapped it.   
  
She loaded the gun swiftly with the ammunition laying carelessly in her drawer , and slammed the drawer shut once more , ducking down as she moved across the kitchen.   
  
"And if only I can make it look real..." Calandra hissed to herself , crawling beneath her window , facing out to the cops. "Then I'll be out of here in no time , with one less mother to worry about , not to mention a few good laughs later on."  
  
She peered over the pane slightly and leveled the gun point up with her mother's hand as she yelled back at the cops , a storm of obscenities flying from the old woman's mouth.  
  
"Mama mia...It was fun. And helpful , I thank you."  
  
Calandra pulled the trigger , and immediately ducked down , although she would of preffered to see the fun she had caused. The bang of her gun was the first , and as she hit the floor she could only imagine the look on her mother's face as the 20 or 30 others flew at her...  
  
Just as her smile began to grow once more , the window over her head bursted with a rogue bullet and Calandra covered her head , pulling it between her knees. Sounds of the many guns flying off on auto filled her ears momentarily,  
  
And then silence.She raised her head curiously and heard nothing but silence , as mentioned , before the clicking of police radios and the murmering from them floated through the window.   
  
Sitting there , in a pile of broken glass and the few pieces of silverware from before , Calandra waited for her mother's obscene cries , for her to jump up and start pulling wrestling moves on them...but she heard nothing of the sort. She waited there for a moment , before turning her head and looking over the window carefully.  
  
What she saw disturbed even the now hardened serial killer in her to a great extent. Her mother lie there on the sidewalk in a fresh pool of blood. Around her , the grass was dyed crimson , her face open and alert , looking as if the boogey man had just jumped out from under the bed at her. From her head , a bullet wound was clearly visible , gaping to Calandra...And her arms spread out around her like the angel she always had wanted to be...  
  
Like the angel she WAS , in THIS moment , and this moment NOW.  
  
A fresh tear stained Calandra's cheek as she watched the police begin to swarm about mother , and it remained.  
  
**********  
  
A.N.2- Okay , so it's a very short chapter. And it did end akwardly. And there wasn't a terrible bunch of plot...so what? I'm working on it...the next chapter completely runs with the plot , I just did not want to give you all 20 pages to read.  
  
Ta,  
Raven 


	6. Curiousity killed The Raven

Many people to bealive , with the rather large abundance spy and crime movies availible in America today , that when you are a large-scale figutive you live in luxury. Villas in Italy , huge palaces in India , and an overlooking flat by the Seine in Paris. If this were true , there would be much more crime in the world today , but unfortunately , it is not. And that was apparent to Calandra Knott.  
  
She was laying in the short motel room bath tub now , the cheap rust stains on the bottom and repulsive stains on the wall not scaring her away. It had been a very long , very stressful day for her and, by god , if she wanted to take a bubble bath she would take a bubble bath!   
  
Her green tea oil shampoo had been the only thing that she had bothered to take from the home , simply for luxury purposes later on , and it was a soothing scent as she lay practically curled up in the too-hot water. Calandra's head was tipped back against the wall and her eyes closed , she was trying to both forget this morning and remember at the same time. But the task was harder than said , apparently , as a few occasional tears crept down the side of her face and she wiped them away with an already wet hand ,masking the sight.  
  
"Damn..." Calandra muttered to herself about nothing inparticular , and sighed deeply.   
  
Truth was , she was now believing that that had been the stupidest thing she'd ever done. Not only had she killed her only alias , but her mother and confidant as well. She was angry , sad , and very , very , annoyed for herself , and it appeared it wouldn't go away for quite some time.  
  
Opening her eyes to hard reality ,Calandra looked to the small clock in the even smaller bathroom , and sighed , rinsing her hair hurriedly and rising from the tub. She wrapped the bathrobe about her form tightly and padded over to the mirror outside of the bathroom.  
  
"Why do I always cause so much trouble? Why did I even start this in the first place?" Calandra questioned the woman in the mirror , toweling at her face to dry it off and reaching for the hairdryer.   
  
'Because you needed the perfect companion for the job...you obviously couldn't live that life alone , Calandra. You needed to kill. And you needed a companion. Why better , than Hannibal Lecter? He will come , you'll see...' The woman responded  
  
She frowned at the mirror , enraged by her mind's view. "And what if he is angry with me for copying some of his work?"  
  
The woman smiled at her , ready to respond with some snappy comment or another , but Calandra was quicker. She grabbed for the hair dryer and flipped it on high as it went , turning from her rogue reflection and working on her hair rather obsessively. She knew what she needed to feel better tonight , a kill. Just one.  
  
  
  
Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling ,both proffessionally and unproffessionally , were about as different as you couldget. You had the F.B.I. and the serial killer , and then you had the deep , daring psychiatrist , and the moral induced warrior. Yes , logic would say that both would probably be hacking at each others throat right about now , but since when is logic a part of anything?  
Typically then , it had been with great reluctance as Clarice had packed her clothing that next morning. Hannibal had stood watch over her , making occasional suggestions and refections about her packing , and she had followed them silently ,not speaking an entire sentence this whole morning. The only problems that they had run into involved one call from the F.B.I. regarding the fact she was five minutes late into the office. Clarice had coughed , and sputtered , and made quite a scene until they were finally convinced she had caught some tropical disease or another , and called off the hounds.  
  
"Are we leaving now , Hannibal?" She asked him later around nine a.m. , pulling her suit case from her bedroom and into the living room.   
  
Doctor Lecter sat on the couch watching theighbourhood out of her window. He had dressed this morning like any other man out there , finishing off the windbreaker and slacks with a black baseball cap and sunglasses. Lecter turned his head to her and rose from his seat with his small smile , moving forward to take her suit case and pick it up with ease. Clarice had insisted she bring her own things , and he hadn't protested much to the idea.  
  
"Yes , Clarice , do you have everything?"  
  
She nodded solemly. "Yes , Or at least I should. If I don't , too late now."  
  
Hannibal smiled pleasantly , "Good girl."  
  
He turned to the door and inclined his head towards it. Immediately , Clarice stepped in front of him and strode up to her front door , opening it and stepping outside to hold the screen open for him. Hannibal then proceeded through with her suitcase , side stepping around her , and picked up his pace down the front stairs while she shut and locked the doors.  
  
Clarice turned back around , dropping her keys back into purse , and watched Hannibal load the suit case into the trunk of her car. She stood there for a moment and reflected. They were taking her car now , as he had said that it would be too dangerous to use his own. Last night he had explained everything to her , and Hannibal had then explained they were staying in New York City , where he did not say , to track down this killer further. Doctor Lecter had told her late last night , that he already had some ideas where tolok , but this was all he said. Yes , and late last night...She smiled on herself inside , let's just not talk about that...  
  
"Clarice? Are you coming?" Hannibal called from the street , looking up at her humrously.  
  
She then realized the had been staring , and blushed lightly ,but it soon subsided as she remembered who she was in reference to.Clarice did not reply , but stepped swiftly down the stairs and side walk , making her way over to the car. Hannibal , head inclined downwards , opened the door and Clarice ducked inside. Shelooked up to him as he shut the door ,and through the tinted glass Hannibal Lecter smiled at her.  
  
Clarice suppressed the small shudder that threatened to give way , and watches him walk around the car. The world seemed to move in a daze now , and her head was spinning. To run away with Hannibal Lecter...But she froze there. Was she running away from the FBI? Clarice looked over to Lecter , head tilted a bit in question while he climbed into the car next to her. Was she truthfully running away with Hannibal The Cannibal Lecter? Well , what had she thought. Lie to the FBI to catch a crook on her own with a serial killer , and then go back to her job as if nothing had happenned? She frowned , the lines of appearing age on her face exagerated deeply...  
  
"Is something wrong , Clarice?" A melodic voice at her side soothed into her thoughts , and Clarice turned her gaze back onto the man driving the car. She hadn't even realized that the car had began moving...  
  
"No, I'm fine." she recited as they moved slowly down the neighbourhood's lane , stopping momentarily for a child as it dashed across the road maybe 6 metres in front of them.  
  
"No , Clarice," Hannibal's voice was back in her head , guiding her , as it was at her side right now. The small car turned a right corner , and he began again. "We've been through this before."  
  
She sighed very lightly , and could almost hear his mocking comments as she did so. "Please , not now?"  
  
"Clarice , We have all the time in the world , I must admit , but none like so. Please , continue."   
  
She fell silent there , leaning back in her seat , and Hannibal spared her a simple glance full of curiosity and concern for his little starling in the passenger seat. He turned back to the road , and unease fell over their veichle.  
  
  
  
Much , much later , Clarice was dissapointed as they walked the sidewalk of a small motor hotel. It was painted a foul light blue , with plastic chairs sitting outside of all of the rooms , and as they climbed the concrete stairs to the next outdoor level , she tipped over a bottle of beer laying across the step. It tipped , and shattered , the amber liquid creeping down the stairs. Clarice paused to watch it's descent , and frowned as she watched most of the bottle's contents creep over Hannibal's italian leather shoes.  
  
She looked up to Lecter , who had paused to watch as well , and he looked up to her as well , look unreadable. Clarice shuddered and turned back to the task at hand , jogging up the stairs and onto the second level , across the shabby balcony.  
  
"Which room did you say...Hannibal?"  
  
He paused for a moment , and then she heard "b7" called out to her. Clarice stopped abruptly , backingup a step , and they were in front of their motel room.  
  
"Hopefully it isn't as bad as the rest of this place." She muttered to herself , nudging the keys into the door and was sure than she felt Hannibal Lecter smile at her side.  
  
"Indeed , Clarice."   
  
As she opened the door , feeling over the wall for a light switch , another door down the way opened , and a figure stepped out. Hannibal turned his eyes to it as light flooded their room and Clarice stepped inside , raising his eyebrows. The figure turned towards them , and his curiosity was sparked even more. A middlesized woman , as if appeared , probably young , Hannibal reasoned. She was dressed in a long brown coat and dark colours , her head bent to the ground as she brushed past him. He frowned deeply at her , recognizing her as a typical rude or off balance...But he didn't quite think so.   
  
Hannibal sighed to himself , looking back to the bedroom and stepped inside , toting Clarice's luggage.  
  
"Oh , Hannibal , you should see this bathtub...terrible!" her voice called from the bathroom.  
  
  
A.N.- Bwahahaha...And the plot thickens!!! Confused? Don't really get it at all? Think about it , and it'll be cleared up next chapter... 


	7. Rain

A.N.- Hey guys, since ff.n is working at the present moment , I figured it would be a good time to post. I'm sorry for such a LONG delay , but if only you knew how much I've been gone lately...:( I missed you all! And now I'm back! And I even have a new chapter out! So...just shut up and read it , I suppose...  
  
  
Callandra Knott brushed past the man without thinking , simply focused on her task at hand , but a few yards away she slowed her pace. He seemed vaguely familiar , like a wave of deja vu. It was another yard before she finally stopped before the foul staircase , and turned slowly. Brow furrowed , Callandra stared down the alley way of doors , a small breeze flicking a lock of brown across her face.   
  
She pushed the hair out of her way , but it was useless. The man was gone , his door closed and light pouring out of the window.Callandra craned her neck a bit to the side , but could not see the interior of the room with the thick tweed curtains in the way. She sighed and relaxed back , shaking her head whilst she turned.   
  
"Paranoia...always paranoia..."Callandra soothed herself and stepped down the stairs lightly , feet tapping against the cement rythmatically.   
  
Once she finally approached her car , unlocking the doors and starting the engine flew past her quickly. No thought about any of her actions , even as she slid the small car gracefully into traffic. Or rather , no traffic , come to think of it. The road was quite deserted for such a time of night when she would think motorists would be frequenting it...But yet Callandra brushed the thought away and reached down to the radio.  
  
Turning the knob side to side in attempt to get a radio station out in what she would define as the "boonies" , Callandra emitted a small,almost annoyed growl as she realised what she had been doing , and flipped the tiny switch from "am" to "fm"  
  
"Bloody mind..." she murmered to herself out of high strung annoyance and gently focused the car's systems to some rock station that appeared clear enough.  
  
Sitting back now , hands relaxed upon the vinyl steering wheel before her , Callandra breathed a sigh of relief as the motel's orange lights dissapeared from view behind her , leaving only the faint glow of her headlights and the bright moon above her to illuminate her face softly. The faint twilight caused by these elements only added intense drama to her expresion -- bent and twisted into worry , concern , and intense emotional foreplay. This day for her...  
  
"Hell." she cursed softly , almost in perfect tune with her thoughts as one single drop of water fell upon the windshield , soon followed by other small , timely drops. Slow.  
  
Glaring at the impending drops , Callandra glanced towards the sky which she had never noticed to be so dark on this eve , the moon slowly drifting from view. In her absent mindedness she had never noticed the wind and temperature drop...Curses following her actions , of course , she now went about finding a radio station to tell her the weather forecast , stopping once she reached a destination.  
  
"Speak to me , tell me what's going on." Callandra crooned to the radio , and listened intently as a computerized , stiff and robotic voice came over , a man's that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.  
  
"...The National Weather service in Fayette County New York have detected a severe thunderstorm warning for...Fayette County and vincity. Large hail three inches in diameter. Dangerous lightning. Wind gusts of 70 MPH..."  
  
At this statement , Callandra took a moment to curse her agreement as the car rocked back towards the other lane only slightly in the gust , slowly gaining control once more.  
  
"...Stay indoors. If outdoors seek shelter immediately. Aviation alerts..."  
  
"Fine , fine , I've heard." She muttered , flipping the radio off as the rain on the windshield slowly increased , her visibility level rather decreasing. Callandra sighed again and her hazel eyes began to search over the country road before her , looking for a way off. A tiny county road at her side wa visible , but she saw that it was indeed gravel and while in consideration she passed it by.   
  
"Bloody Hell." Callandra cursed once more , stating her favourite words for the evening in one glorious display , pounding her palms against the top of the steering wheel. Not a good choice of words , she soon realised , as the elements took this moment to increase in strength and torment , the car rocking sideways slowly as though it threatened to rock right off of the road.   
  
"Here's me thinking a little light 'chic' car's going to do the job...Brilliant weather."  
  
These words followed by other odd ramblings , she glanced towards the impending sky through the dripping windows of her car and with a frown slowly eased the glass down via the power button. Rain flying in towards her face , she focused her eyes on the roadand drove one handed while she stuck the other out to feel the temperature. Cold, very cold , big leap from the heat they had had earlier. Which simply meant...  
  
But her thought never finished. Hurling her hand's back up against the car's window , a massive gust of wind hit the car now , spinning them out of control. It swerved to the side , and down the ditch , her foot on the accellerator doubled with the wind at the back , threatening to flip them over backwards.  
  
"Shit , shit , shit!" she cursed loudly , wide eyed and worried as she gripped the steering wheel firmly and attempted to pull the car into control as it entered a neighbouring corn field. Slamming her foot down onto the break repeatedly , she tried to slow the car as corn stalks flew at her windshield , at her sides , debri flying from the window into her hair as though to emphasize the awaiting crash. It appeared to be a scene straight out of a television show , or a novel of some sort , though she didn't have time to ponder as suddenly the corn opened up.  
  
"Oh thank god...please lord..." she just had time to murmer before she gasped and a slight scream escaped her lips futily. It was a dried river bed that she flew into now , a large tree looming before her in the headlights like a villian. The horrific vampire at the end of every horror movie. It's branches extended out like great fingers , beconing the small rental to come forth. Hands lashing away from the steering wheel , she curled her head down towards her knees and flew her arms over her head in one last effort for safety , around her and over her head branches flying through the windshield.   
Showers of glass around her , they covered the seats and woman with crystal , glittering in the flashes of lightening over head. And soon as it all had happenned , thing fell still once more within the tiny car. The headlights glared out into the rain , seeking out the help of an invisible someone , while rain began to fall into the car's now exposed windshield , the muffled sobs slowly dying with it's pour...  
  
A.N.- Hmm...It took me so long to write that...Well , tell me what you think about it. This chapter may be temporary , I assure you , if you don't like it or think it was poorly written , tell me , I won't hesitate to re write it.  
  
Always eager for your comments,  
Feazle and Raven 


	8. If at first you don't succeed

A.N. - Do not adjust your television set...It's really me! To all of my fellow lecterphiles - I'm sooooo sorry I've been all MIA. I missed you! I got so busy because I've been here there and everywhere doing everything all at once that I had to unsubscribe from the mailing list 'cause e-mail got clogged with so much and I stopped writing chapters and reading others...It's all very tragic , hehe. Anyway , I'm attempting to finish all of these things up 'cause I'm going off to St. Malo (France) for a long time to study French , and Internet access and comp access is gonna be shifty. So enjoy these last stories , and (something I haven't gotten to demand in toooooo long...) REVIEW!  
  
  
  
"God , How did they get all the way out here?" One of the paramedic's , an old , middle-aged man in chest-high waders , questioned as he pushed his way through the knee high water.  
  
"Must have been drunk or something. Got stuck before the storm came." The fireman at his side answered without much thought. The two men were descending into the water of the Mead Creek. The rest of their rescue team waited on the shore , an ambulance was waiting on the road not far away for the victim. This car , a small blue accord, had been spotted from the air in the river bed lodged against a tree. The water had been rising ever since last night's simple Thunder-storm had spiraled into patches of small tornadoes.   
  
"I suppose," Leaning into the broken window , the paramedic looked over the woman grimly. She was crouched into the fetal position , arms securely over her head. "It's a woman. Must not have been too drunk , she knew what to do..."  
  
He reflected outloud , reaching in to touch the exposed part of her neck gently. The team on the otherside chatted to each other quietly , all waiting with a stretcher for his word. The fireman was silent with a crowbar in his hands , obviously itching to use it and get out of the cold , quick water.  
  
"She's alive. Give me that thing..."  
  
  
  
Ever since Callandra had been a child , simply the thought of going to the Doctor had frightened the living daylights out of her. She used to crawl into the linen closet and sit amongst Mrs. Feline's kittens whenever Mama would threaten a shot or check-up. They'd pounce over her legs , mewing and whining for their mother and food until the noise was enough to attract Mama and Callandra was hoisted off for the Doctor anyway.  
  
She'd cry and pout , even once trying to escape out the car door , until they got there and she received her chocolate. Afterwards , life was sweet and wonderful again , until the next trip.  
  
Memories of such times seemed extremely evident in her subconscious mind as the men lifted her into the back of the cream-coloured ambulance. Residents on the road had gathered to watch their operation , though many had left after they saw the scene. Ever since she'd been removed from her car , Callandra had resorted to thrashing about , every now and then calling something rude or pleaying out to them in french , before going silent again.   
  
"Keep her still , will you?" The paramedic that had pulled her from the car complained to the others that were attempting to hold her down while still being careful not to damage anything further. He was making a rather futile attempt to place an IV in her arm within the van. Their small , county hospital issued equipment did not include straps , much to the disappointment of all members.  
  
"Aidez , Mama! Je suis desole..." Callandra called out one last time as the paramedic slid the needle in slowly. She fell back against her stretcher as though admitting to losing the battle somehow , the distressed look on her face remaining.  
  
"Must have some brain damage , don't you think? I've never saw one act like that." One of the medics in the back remarked dryly , passing the head man that had been working on the IV a small kit.  
  
"Possibly. Maybe that's just normal."   
  
They all nodded their agreements silently , going back to various tasks. Up front , the driver was rattling away merrily on the radio. Callandra began to stir and each member watched wearily while they worked , careful for another outburst from the woman. She was slowly regaining consciousness , fighting through the barrier of the concussion such a crash had given her.  
  
"Doesn't she look familiar to you?" One of the medics yawned out minutes later. They were approaching the outskirts of town now , and each was hopeful for a break from the runs they'd been given all night after the storm.  
  
"How so?"  
  
"I don't know...she just does. Not local though , you heard the crazy stuff that's been coming out of her mouth. Just familiar."  
  
"Hey,I know!" One of the more silent and scrawny members of the group suddenly announced from the front , twisting around in the passenger seat to look at them. "She looks like that crazy chic that was killing people in New York! You think that's her?"  
  
"Stephen , go back to your hole , they found and shot that woman days ago. Don't you ever listen to the news?"  
  
Quiet again , the man turned around in his seat looking both embarrassed and angry. He heaved a heavy sigh like a child would and faced straight ahead. In the back however , amongst the triumphant grins of the paramedics , Callandra Knott was regaining her strength.  
  
Slowly , her eyes flicked open. The ceiling of the van was immediately presented before her , and then the faces of the scraggly-looking men who lined the walls amongst medical equipment and machines. A shudder rippled through her body. She was in an ambulance.  
  
"Hey , how old you think she is?" One of the men grumbled out , trying to complete the paperwork ahead of time. He looked across the ambulance to the head medic who looked down upon the face of Callandra , suddenly at as much ease as it had been minutes ago.  
  
"Oh...I don't know...27? Yeah,put that down. Looks kinda old..."  
  
Concussion or no concussion , the man had just violated one of the most sacred rules of this earth , and Callandra felt her blood boil. He'd called her old! The nerve of that hick...Him and his fleet of wannabe-southern-drawl farm boys out here calling her old...A scowl knitted over her features despite who was watching. Ignoring the headache that was launched into affect upon the light , she opened her eyes completely , glaring firmly at the man. Callandra began to sit up , feeling her limbs scream in protest. When she placed her hand on the stretched for support , the bones in her arm ached so terribly she was sure it was broken.  
  
"Holy crap!" He exclaimed , surprised at so much movement from the formerly dormant woman.   
  
"Don't worry. Be grateful. You , at least , won't be getting any older..."  
  
A.N.-Alright. Having written that , I know it was short , and in my opinion a little hurried , but that is what I get for not writing in so long. This chapter was simply to bridge the gap in time between those former chapters and those to come. I'm estimating 2-3 more before this story is finally completed and I can finally celebrate , hehe. So don't flame me too harshly until you see what else is to come. Deal? Now , click on down to that little review box... 


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